Within a few days, everything was arranged. The young man specifically purchased mana-engineered crossbows for the job. The crossbows and bolts were huge, and, as all mana-engineered items, they were incredibly expensive.

Serah looks at the huge crossbow with great interest. She had heard about mana-engineered items before, but she has never managed to see one until now. After the art of enchantment was lost, the world had tried to come up with new ways to apply magic to their weapons, armor, and other objects. The result of that effort was mana engineering. Instead of applying thin layers of folded mana onto objects, liquefied mana was specifically built in and engraved onto these items; and by mimicking various enchantment designs, they were able to replicate a similar but limited version of their enchanted counterparts.

As someone who knew about enchantment, Serah was greatly interested in the art of mana engineering. To her, it seemed more practical than enchantment. Enchantment required deep meditation and exploration of various ideas, and an understanding of things that were both arcane and abstract. If Serah was being honest, the matter was quite tedious, and she would almost prefer to search for various herbs to make potions, or spend hours blacksmithing a hammer, then to earn money through enchantment. To learn a single enchantment, Serah would have to go into mediation for days, and time would pass by in a hazy state. Whenever she woke up , it took a moment just to recognize herself. If she was being very honest, she very much didn’t like the art at all. But unfortunately, she picked it out and was stuck with it, like a bad decision that continued to associate itself with her.

But mana engineering was different. You didn’t have to go through all that bullshit. You just had to follow the path that was laid before you. Which, to Serah, was just fine. She didn’t have dreams of grandeur, and the sort of things that she had to explore for enchantment, were, honestly, unnecessary in her life. But like it was previously said, she was stuck with that bullshit.

Serah looks up at the young man, who he had recently learned was called Carter. “Hey, Carter. How much for one of these?” She asks, very curious.

“Ah, these?” He says, somewhat embarrassed. He really didn’t want to say the price. It was very expensive, and not something Carter could afford on his own, so he would rather not draw attention to the fact that he was rich or using his father’s money, especially to Serah. But since she asked, he had to answer. “This, ughh… This was 9250 coins.” He says, deciding to just state the facts.

Serah’s eyes widen, somewhat surprised. “That’s pretty cheap. Maybe I should get something mana-engineered.” She says, finding the price to be acceptable. Just the liquefied mana to engrave this thing must have at least been a few thousand coin, not to mention the expertise and skill required for the labour.

Carter’s eyes widen, and he lets out a smile, finding relief in Serah’s response. “Yes! The price wasn’t too bad. And the damage these things could cause! It's certainly worth the price!” He says somewhat excitedly, feeling as if he had found a kindred spirit. Maybe she’s the daughter of some sort of nobleman? Or a merchant perhaps? He thinks, satisfied.

The young man looks around, and seeing as everyone was present, raised his hand to draw their attention. “Alright everyone! Since you’re all here, we should probably head out. It'll be a few hours before we reach the place in the Garnet River that we need to go to.” He says before heading out of the student common area.

…

…

Serah looks at the river curiously as she walks forward. Hmm. It really is a red river. Serah thinks with interest. She had previously heard of the Garnet River. Apparently, a certain red mineral was found all along the river, called Malzatite, that caused the river to look somewhat red in the shallower areas of the river. The mineral itself was a common ingredient in many healing potions, so Serah wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the reasons that the college to be located in Redriver City. It looks quite pretty. Serah thinks, admiring the red glow of the river.

Eventually, they reached where the river expanded out to cover a mountainous area, flooding over various rocks and boulders. Carter had it on good authority that, in a cave beneath the river, was a water drake that had been living there for quite a few years, migrating back and forth from the ocean depending on the season. It was quite rare to find water drakes that lived in rivers, so the group was quite lucky to find one near the college, as most water drakes lived in the ocean, growing much larger than their river-dwelling counterparts.

Serah looks to Carter and raises an eyebrow. “How do we get it out?” She asks, curious.

Carter smiles. “No worries, we brought a blood sacrifice.” He says as he signals to a man who carried a large burlap sack. He opens the bag and pulls out a live predator chicken, a much more vicious version of the common livestock chicken. Carter heard through the grapevine that this was a sort of favorite for river-dwelling water drakes. Carter gives the signal and, without hesitation, the man slits the chicken’s throat, before throwing its bleeding body into the river.

Serah looks wide-eyed at the bloody ritual, with some shock and surprise, before suddenly remembering that she had been doing something much more brutal recently. Serah lets out an embarrassed smile and scratches her cheek with a hint of shame.